A baby girl suffers from a rare condition which has caused her head to more than double in size.
Jaya Dalvi, four months, was born with hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid inside her skull which could kill her.
It means her head was larger than average when she was born and has since grown rapidly to 71cm in circumference.
Doctors say the average size for a baby girl her age is around 38cm.
Babies born with hydrocephalus require prompt surgical treatment to avoid being left permanently disabled.
But Javi’s family, who live in the rural village of Valasad in Gujarat, a state in western India, can’t afford to pay for the specialist care at a private hospital.
Her father, Bhavesh Dalvi, 30, is a farmer earning just £2 a day, so he and his wife Jaywanti have been forced to take the baby to a state-run medical centre.
He said: ‘We are trying everything possible to save our daughter.
‘Unfortunately, whatever we have managed to pool in is too little for her treatment.
‘I request to all kind-hearted people out there to please help me save my daughter, I cannot helplessly see her die in front of my eyes.’
Dr. Manoj Patel, who often sees Jaya at Surat Hospital, said: ‘If not treated in time, the disease progresses very quickly.
‘The babies usually die because their brain tissues are unable to adapt to the pressure.’
Treatment for hydrocephalus involves implanting a shunt into the brain to drain excess fluid to another part of the body where it can be more easily reabsorbed.
This thin tube has a valve inside it to control the flow of fluid and to ensure it does not drain too quickly.
Dr Patel added: ‘It’s done by paediatric neurosurgeons but we don’t have the resources to carry out the operation in our facility.
‘The operation is not a very demanding procedure and is usually lasts about 30 minutes.
‘The baby belongs to a poor family, so they cannot afford to expensive treatment for her.’
According to the doctors, the baby’s head at birth in general would be 35cm and should have grown to 38cm in four months.
It is not known what caused Jaya’s defect and is tricky to know how she came to have it without an expert medical opinion.
Dr. Patel added: ‘It is near-impossible to know what related conditions she might be suffering from without conducting proper investigations.’
Hydrocephalus is caused by a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, increasing pressure on the brain inside.
In non-sufferers, the brain constantly produces new cerebrospinal fluid at the rate of about a pint a day, according to NHS England.
Old fluid is released from the brain and reabsorbed into the blood vessels.
But if this process is interrupted, as in individuals with hydrocephalus, levels of the fluid can quickly build up and place pressure on the brain.
Symptoms include headaches, blurred vision and, eventually, permanent brain damage.
